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THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 

GIFT  OF 
COMMODORE  BYRON  MCCANDLESS 


O 
PC, 

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O 

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o 


THE 


FLAG  REPLACED  ON  SUMTER. 


A   PERSONAL   NARRATIVE 


WILLIAM    A.    SPICER. 


KKAI)   BKFORK  TJ1K 

RHODE   ISLAND   SOLDIERS  AND   SAILORS 
HISTORICAL  SOCIETY, 

FKHKUAKY,  1884. 


1'KOVIDENCE: 

PRINTKIi   HY  TIIK   I-KOVIDKNCK   PUKS8  COMPANY. 

1  8  H  f,  . 


COPYRIGHT, 
1885. 


THE  FLAG  REPLACED  ON  SUMTER. 


"  What's  hallowed  ground?   'Tis  what  gives  birth 
To  sacred  thoughts  in  souls  of  worth ! 
Peace!  Independence!  Truth!"— Campbell. 

IMMEDIATELY 

upon  the  election  of 
Abraham  Lincoln  as 
President,  in  Novem- 
ber, 1860,  a  prede- 
termined plan  of  se- 
cession was  entered 
upon  by  the  leading 
public  men  of  the 
South,  on  the  plea 
that  his  election  was 
dangerous  to  the  in- 
terests of  slavery . 
In  February,  1861, 
seven  of  the  slave 
States  having  united  in  the  movement,  an  independ- 


6  THE    FLAG   REPLACED    ON    SUMTER. 

ent  government  was  organized,  under  the  name  of 
the  Southern  Confederacy,  and  Jefferson  Davis  was 
inaugurated  as  President  with  great  pomp,  at  Mont- 
gomery, Alabama ;  so  that  on  the  fourth  of  March, 
the  day  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  inauguration  at  Washington, 
the  flag  of  the  United  States  was  flying  at  only  three 
points  south  of  the  Capital,  viz  :  Fort  Sumter,  Fort 
Pickens,  and  Key  West. 

South  Carolina  naturally  led  the  scheme  of  dis- 
union, passing  the  ordinance  of  secession  on  the  twen- 
tieth of  December,  1860,  and  immediately  proceed- 
ing to  secure  possession  of  the  national  property  in 
the  State,  particularly  the  forts  in  Charleston  harbor. 

To  prevent  this,  Major  Robert  Anderson,  an  able 
and  loyal  southern  officer,  commanding  a  small  gar- 
rison of  United  States  troops  in  Fort  Motiltrte,  has- 
tily removed,  on  the  night  of  the  26th  of  December, 
to  Fort  Sumter,  a  much  stronger  but  unfinished  for- 
tress in  the  middle  of  the  harbor,  hoping  to  maintain 
his  position  there  till  reinforced.  But  before  this 
could  be  effected  by  President  Lincoln,  who  had 
plainly  advised  Governor  Pickens  of  his  intention,  a 
formal  demand  for  the  surrender  of  the  fort  was  made 


THE    FLAG    REPLACED    ON    SUMTER.  7 

by  General  Beauregard,  commanding  the  rebel  forces, 
which  being  promptly  refused  by  Major  Anderson, 
the  order  to  reduce  the  fort  was  given  by  the  Con- 
federate government.  On  the  morning  of  Friday, 
the  twelfth  of  April,  1861,  at  half-past  four,  the  first 
shot  was  fired  upon  Fort  Sumter,  which  aroused  and 
excited  the  nation,  and  begun  the  war  of  the  Rebel- 
lion. For  two  days  the  assault  continued,  when 
after  a  most  gallant  defense  by  the  little  garrison  of 
eighty  men,  Major  Anderson  was  compelled  to  accept 
terms  of  evacuation.  On  Sunday  afternoon,  April 
14th,  he  marched  out  of  the  fort  with  colors  flying 
and  drums  beating,  saluting  the  United  States  flag, 
as  it  was  lowered,  with  fifty  guns. 

There  was  great  rejoicing  in  Charleston.  Thou- 
sands had  assembled  at  the  Battery,  excited  specta- 
tors of  the  scene.  They  exultingly  beheld  the  ban- 
ner of  the  Republic  lowered,  and  the  flags  of  South 
Carolina  and  the  Southern  Confederacy  raised  defi- 
antly over  the  ramparts  of  Fort  Sumter. 

Governor  Pickens,  the  bustling  and  blustering 
State  executive,  thus  addressed  the  populace  : 


8  THE    FLAG    REPLACED    ON    SUMTER. 

"  We  are  now  one  of  the  Confederate  States,  and  they  have  sent 
us  a  brave  and  scientific  officer,  to  whom  the  credit  of  this  day's 
triumph  is  due.  We  have  defeated  their  twenty  millions.  We 
have  humbled  the  flag  of  the  United  States  before  the  Palmetto 
and  Confederate,  and  so  long  as  I  have  the  honor  to  preside  as  your 
chief  magistrate,  so  help  me  God,  there  is  no  power  on  this  earth 
shall  ever  lower  from  that  fortress  those  flags,  unless  they  be  low- 
ered and  trailed  in  a  sea  of  blood.  I  can  here  say  to  you  it  is  the 
first  time  in  the  history  of  this  country  that  the  stars  and  stripes 
have  been  humbled.  That  flag  has  never  before  been  lowered 
before  any  nation  on  this  earth.  But  to-day  it  has  been  humbled, 
and  humbled  before  the  glorious  little  State  of  South  Carolina." 

But  Governor  Pickens  little  dreamed  that  the  dis- 
charge of  his  guns  upon  the  United  States  flag  at 
Fort  Sumter  would  awaken  such  an  outburst  of 
patriotism  as  immediately  followed  all  over  the 
North,  uniting  the  people  of  all  classes  inn  determi- 
nation to  maintain  the  majesty  of  the  Union,  and 
vindicate  the  honor  of  the  flag.  How  little  he  fore- 
saw the  mighty  sweep  and  terrible  devastation  of 
the  pitiless  storm  of  civil  war  which  now  burst  over 
the  land,  and  which  never  departed  from  the  soil  of 
South  Carolina  till  every  rebel  ensign  was  "  lowered 
and  trailed  in  a  sea  of  blood ;"  till  slavery,  the  cause 
of  the  conflict,  was  forever  abolished,  and  the  power 


THE    FLAG   REPLACED    ON    SUMTER. 

of  the  United  States  firmly  re-established  on  land  and 
sea. 

Four  years  had  scarcely  passed  ere  he  heard  the 
tramp  of  Sherman's  army  sweeping  victoriously 
across  the  State,  and  beheld  the  once  proud  and 
haughty  Charleston  in  possession  of  the  Union  le- 
gions. As  he  saw  the  starry  flag  again  waving  aloft 
in  triumph,  he  hastened,  with  reluctant  footsteps, 
to  place  himself  once  more  under  its  protecting 
folds,  thus  renewing,  in  1865,  his  oath  of  alle- 
giance to  the  government  whose  authority  he  had 
defied  in  1861 ! 

A  few  months  later,  at  the  State  Convention 
at  Columbia,  assembled  under  the  direction  of  the 
President  of  the  United  States,  it  is  none  other  than 
our  reconstructed  friend,  Ex-Governor  Pickens,  who 
rises  amid  the  ashes  of  his  once  beautiful  Capital,  and 
offers  the  following  ordinance  : 

"Resolved,  We,  the  delegates  of  the  people  of  the  State  of  South 
Carolina,  in  general  convention  met,  do  ordain,  that  the  ordinance 
[of  secession]  passed  in  convention  on  the  twentieth  of  December, 
1860,  withdrawing  this  State  from  the  Federal  Union,  be,  and  the 
same  is  hereby  repealed.  The  fortunes  of  war,  together  with  the 
proclamations  of  the  President  of  the  United  States  and  the  gener- 


10  THE    FLAG    REPLACED    ON    SUMTER. 

als  in  the  field  commanding,  having  decided  that  domestic  slavery 
is  abolished,  that  therefore,  under  the  circumstances,  we  acquiesce 
In  said  proclamations,  and  do  hereby  ordain  implicit  obedience  to 
the  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  and  all  laws  made  in  pur- 
suance thereof." 

He  had  thus  at  last  learned  the  truth  of  that  ancient 
and  profound  maxim,  that  "he  who  would  aspire  to 
govern,  should  first  learn  to  obey!" 

General  Sherman  did  not  pause  in  his  rapid  march 
northward  from  Savannah,  through  the  Carolinas,  to 
make  any  demonstration  against  Charleston ;  he 
conquered  it,  in  the  words  of  General  Robert  Ander- 
son, "by  turning  his  back  on  it !"  His  military  ope- 
rations compelled  the  evacuation  of  the  city,  which 
was  occupied  by  the  Union  troops  on  the  eighteenth 
of  February,  1865.  Lieutenant-Colonel  A.  G.  Ben- 
nett, of  the  Twenty-first  United  States  colored  troops, 
was  the  first  to  land  with  a  small  force,  while  some 
of  the  rebel  mounted  patrols  still  remained,  apply- 
ing the  torch  as  they  retreated.  The  Colonel  at 
once  addressed  himself  to  the  Mayor :  "  In  the  name 
of  the  United  States  government  I  demand  a  sur- 
render of  the  city,  of  which  you  are  the  executive 


THE  FLAG  REPLACED  ON  SUMTER.        11 

officer."  The  Mayor  responded  by  immediately 
turning  over  the  Cradle  of  Rebellion  to  its  rightful 
owners.  The  Colonel  then  proceeded  to  the  citadel 
with  his  colored  troops,  two  companies  of  the  Fifty- 
second  Pennsylvania  Regiment,  and  about  thirty 
men  of  the  Third  Rhode  Island  Heavy  Artillery, 
under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Ames,  and  proclaimed  mar- 
tial law.  In  his  official  report  he  says  :  "Every  offi- 
cer and  soldier  exerted  himself  to  a  most  willing 
performance  of  every  allotted  duty,  yet  I  do  not  deem 
it  invidious  for  me  to  make  special  mention  of  Lieu- 
tenant John  Hackett,  Company  M,  Third  Rhode 
Island  Artillery,  who  volunteerd  to  go  alone  to 
Fort  Moultrie,  and  there  raised  the  flag."  This  was 
a  most  perilous  service,  gallantly  performed  amid  the 
danger  of  exploding  rebel  powder  magazines. 

It  was  the  beginning  of  the  end.  President  Lin- 
coln, realizing  that  the  fall  of  the  Confederacy  was 
near  at  hand,  determined  to  celebrate  the  fourth  anni- 
versary of  the  surrender  of  Fort  Sumter  by  replant- 
ing the  old  flag  of  1861,  with  imposing  ceremonies, 
upon  the  ruins  of  the  fort,  and  the  following  order 
was  accordingly  issued  : 


12  THE   FLAG   REPLACED   ON    SUMTER. 

< ;  i  M  !< A  i,  ORDERS,  No.  50. 

WAR  DEPARTMENT,  ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S  OFFICE,  i 
WASHINGTON,  March  27,  1865.  > 

ORDERED:  First,  That  at  the  hour  of  noon,  on  the  14th  day  of 
April,  1865,  brevet  Major-General  Anderson  will  raise  and  plant 
upon  the  ruins  of  Fort  Sumter,  in  Charleston  harbor,  the  SAME 
United  States  flag  which  floated  over  the  battlements  of  that  fort 
during  the  rebel  assault,  and  which  was  lowered  and  saluted  by 
him,  and  the  small  force  of  his  command,  when  the  works  were 
evacuated  on  the  14th  of  April,  1861. 

Second,  That  the  flag,  when  raised,  be  saluted  by  one  hundred 
guns  from  Fort  Sumter,  and  by  a  national  salute  from  every  fort  and 
rebel  battery  that  fired  upon  Fort  Sumter. 

Third,  That  suitable  ceremonies  be  had  upon  the  occasion,  under 
the  direction  of  Major-General  William  T.  Sherman,  whose  military 
operations  compelled  the  rebels  to  evacuate  Charleston,  or,  in  his 
absence,  under  the  charge  of  Major-General  Q.  A.  Gilmore,  com- 
manding the  Department.  Among  the  ceremonies  will  be  the 
delivery  of  an  address  by  the  Rev.  Henry  Ward  Beecher. 

Fourth,  That  the  naval  forces  at  Charleston,  and  their  com- 
mander on  that  station,  be  invited  to  participate  in  the  ceremonies 
of  the  occasion. 

Official 

By  order  of  the  President  of  the  United  States. 

EDWIN  M.  STANTON,  Secretary  of  War. 

E.  D.  TOWNSHEND,  Assistant  Adjutant-General. 

The  steamer  "  Arago  "  was  officially  commissioned 
to  carry  to  the  fort  those  who  were   to  take  part  in 


THE    FLAG   REPLACED   ON    SUMTER.  13 

the  exercises,  and  the  gratifying  announcement  was 
afterwards  received  in  Providence  that  a  second 
steamer  had  been  chartered,  the  "Oceanus,"  of  our 
Neptune  Propeller  Line,  to  sail  from  New  York  for 
Charleston,  on  Monday,  April  10th,  at  noon.  Imme- 
diately, three  Providence  boys,  two  of  us  comrades 
in  the  Tenth  Rhode  Island  Regiment,  fired  with  the 
news  just  received  of  the  fall  of  Richmond,  made  our 
plans  for  going  to  Charleston  on  the  "Oceanus."  We 
so  well  succeeded  that  on  the  morning  of  the  tenth 
we  made  our  appearance  on  the  deck  of  the  steamer, 
duly  armed  and  equipped  with  the  necessary  papers 
and  outfit. 

There  was  great  enthusiasm  on  board  over  the 
news  from  the  seat  of  war,  not  only  on  account  of  the 
recent  capture  of  Richmond  and  Petersburg,  but 
because,  during  the  night,  the  news  had  flashed  over 
the  wires  of  the  surrender  of  Lee  and  the  death  of  the 
Rebellion.  We  thus  became  the  bearers  of  these 
glorious  tidings  to  Fort  Sumter  and  Charleston. 

My  reception  of  the  news  in  New  York  is  thus 
described  in  my  diary:  "Monday,  April  10,  Astor 

2 


14  THE    FLAG    KEFLACED    ON    SUMTER. 

House.  On  coming  down  from  my  room  this  morn- 
ing, my  attention  was  arrested  by  the  'big  letters' 
at  the  head  of  the  column  of  the  morning  paper,  bear- 

ino-  the  announcement  of  the   surrender  of  General 

o 

Lee  and  his  whole  army.  It  was  pretty  big  news 
to  take  in,  and  contain  myself.  Passing  into  the 
hotel  parlors,  I  noticed  that  Broadway  was  gaily 
decorated  with  flags  (though  the  rain  was  descend- 
ing in  torrents),  and  there  read  in  the  Herald 
the  official  documents  from  General  Grant,  upon 
which  I  could  hardly  refrain  from  shouting  three 
cheers  !  I  believe  I  did  give  one  !  While  waiting 
for  breakfast  I  ventured,  in  the  enthusiasm  of  the 
moment,  to  seat  myself  at  the  piano,  and  was  hard 
at  work  on  about  the  only  patriotic  time  I  could 
drum,  viz  :  'Tenting  on  the  old  camp  ground,'  when 
a  small  boy  came  up  with  a  message  from  some  nice 
looking  young  ladies  at  the  opposite  end  of  the 
parlor,  requesting  'The  Star  Spangled  Banner,'  in 
honor  of  the  glorious  news.  Well,  I  didn't  exactly 
fall  under  the  piano ;  but  briefly  conveying  regrets 
at  my  inability  to  comply,  I  retired  as  gracefully  as 
possible." 


THE    FLAG    REPLACED    ON    SUMTER.  15 

Promptly  at  noon  we  waved  our  adieus  from  the 
deck  of  the  "  Oceanus"  to  the  friends  assembled  on 
shore,  and  steamed  slowly  down  the  harbor.  The 
weather  was  extremely  rainy  and  foggy,  and  when 
hardly  three  hours  out,  we  found  ourselves  aground 
on  Sandy  Hook  bar.  A  pilot  was  signaled,  who 
brought  the  report  of  a  heavy  storm  outside,  and 
after  getting  us  safely  off  the  sand-spit,  he  advised 
our  "  laying  to  "  till  morning.  This  was  a  great  dis- 
appointment, as  there  was  no  time  to  lose,  and  some 
one  impatiently  asked,  "  Can't  you  take  us  out  this 
afternoon,  pilot ? "  "I  reckon  I  can  if  you  all  say  so," 
responded  the  old  salt,  "  but  you'd  better  lay  here, 
to-night!"  "Why  so,  pilot?"  "You  gentlemen 
want  to  go  to  Charleston,  don't  you?"  "  Why,  yes, 
of  course."  "  Wall,  then,  I  tell  you,  you'd  better  lay 
here  to-night,  for  it's  goin'  to  be  a  werry  nasty,  dirty 
night  outside."  That  settled  the  matter,  and  down 
went  the  big  anchor  of  the  "Oceanus." 

Having  eaten  but  sparingly  during  the  day  to  avoid 
sea-sickness,  and  fully  believing  that  we  were  firmly 
anchored  for  the  night,  I  indulged  in  a  hearty  sup- 


16  THE    FLAG    REPLACED    OX    SUMTElt. 

per,  concluding,  as  my  diary  says,  "  with  sardines 
and  oranges."  I  had  oceaeion  to  feel  very  sorry 
for  this  a  few  hours  later. 

A  patriotic  meeting  was  held  in  the  cabin  during 
the  evening.  The  music  and  addresses  were  very 
enjoyable,  till  suddenly  the  sound  of  hurrying  feet 
was  heard  overhead,  and  the  news  was  whispered 
round  that  we  were  "weighing  anchor."  Soon  we 
began  to  feel  the  uncomfortable  rolling  of  the  steamer. 
The  orator  who  was  then  addressing  the  meeting, 
and  who  had  waxed  eloquent  with  his  subject,  now 
provoked  considerable  merriment  by  his  ungraceful 
and  involuntary  gestures,  clutching  desperately  at  a 
chair,  then  taking  a  fresh  hold  of  the  table  to  steady 
himself.  It  well  illustrated  Demosthenes'  famous 
rule  for  oratory,  "Action!  action!  action!"  But  a 
more  serious  impression  quickly  prevailed  among 
the  audience,  that  it  was  high  time  to  retire,  and, 
like  Longfellow's  Arabs,  they  began  to  "silently 
steal  away."  The  chairman  of  the  meeting,  Mayor 
Wood,  of  Brooklyn,  unmindful  of  his  usual  decorum, 
upon  an  extra  roll  of  the  steamer  went  over  the  back 


THE    FLAG    REPLACED    ON    SUMTER.  37 

of  his  chair,  and  rolled  ingloriously  upon  the  floor. 
He  acknowledged  that  he  had  never  been  so  com- 
pletely floored  in  his  life. 

There  was  another  portly  gentleman  who,  in 
attempting  to  navigate,  was  caught  near  the  cabin 
door,  just  behind  the  knees,  by  a  friendly  chair,  and 
as  he  was  suddenly  tilted  back  into  it,  remarked 
somewhat  dryly,  "I  believe  I'll  sit  down!"  Going 
out  on  deck,  I  found  that  the  storm  had  lifted,  the 
lights  of  Sandy  Hook  were  far  astern,  and  we  were 
fairly  at  sea.  From  this  point  of  time  on  Monday 
evening,  when  we  lay  on  deck,  (things  were  getting 
too  unsteady  for  landsmen  to  stand,)  I  omit,  out 
of  courtesy  to  ourselves,  any  further  incidents  of  the 
voyage,  and  pass  on  to  Thursday  morning,  which 
found  us  sitting  on  the  forward  deck,  waiting  and 
watching  for  the  spires  of  Charleston.  The  weather 
was  delightful.  As  we  passed  into  the  warmer 
southern  climate,  the  sea  became  calmer  and  more 
transparent,  schools  of  porpoises  played  about  the 
steamer,  and  one  enthusiastic  individual  insisted  that 
he  had  seen  a  whale  !  but  he  was  set  down  by  one 
of  the  disgruntled  passengers  as  "  only  a  pesky  oil 


18  THE    FLAG    REPLACED    ON    SUMTEK. 

speculator."  The  German  band  on  board,  or  rather 
tho  brief  remnant  of  it,  still  kept  up  what  at  the  dis- 
tance of  several  yards  sounded  like  very  dismal 
music  I  Presently  some  one  suggested  "  lemons  and 
lump  sugar,"  as  the  right  remedy  for  any  lingering 
unpleasantness,  and  we  drew  lots  as  to  who  should 
"go  below,"  combat  the  smells  of  the  cook-room,  and 
purchase  them.  The  announcement  that  the  chance 
had  fallen  on  my  old  friend  and  comrade  of  the 
Tenth  Rhode  Island,  William  Vaughan,  was  greeted 
with  roars  of  laughter.  But  he  got  off  very  much 
like  another  fellow  described  in  Pickwick,  who 
spelled  his  name  with  a  "double  you"  and  a  "wee," 
by  liberally  feeing  some  one  else  to  go  in  his  place. 

About  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  came  the  joy- 
ful shout  of  "Land-ho  ! "  which  quickly  filled  the  deck 
of  the  "Oceanus"  with  a  troop  of  smiling  faces.  All 
gloom  now  gave  way  to  sanguine  expectation.  We 
could  plainly  distinguish  the  light-ship,  bearing  the 
suggestive  name,  "Rattlesnake  Shoals,"  and  knew 
we  were  at  last  off  Charleston  harbor.  A  pilot  was 
presently  taken  on  board,  who  informed  the  captain 
that  we  could  not  go  over  the  bar  till  sunset.  Some 


THE    FLAG    REPLACED    ON    SUMTER.  19 

one  asked  him,  "Are  the  people  over  there  in  Charles- 
ton loyal  now,  pilot?"  He  shook  his  head  gravely, 
and  was  non-committal.  "Well,  then,  we've  come 
down  here  to  make  you  loyal,  pilot !"  Turning  his 
keen  eye,  which  had  peered  into  many  a  northeaster^ 
directly  upon  his  interviewer,  the  old  salt  vigorously 
replied,  "You  can't  make  me  loyal,  for  I  always 
have  been  !"  Noble  words  and  truly  spoken,  as  we 
afterwards  found. 

The  sun  was  still  shining  brightly  in  the  western 
horizon  as  we  weighed  anchor,  and  with  colors  fly- 
ing and  whistle  sounding,  steamed  slowly  towards 
the  majestic  bay  which  expands  its  broad  bosom 
before  the  city  of  Charleston.  The  pilot,  dressed  in 
navy  blue,  stood  at  the  window  of  the  pilot-house, 
guiding  the  helmsman  and  announcing  the  various 
points  of  historic  interest. 

Close  at  hand  two  buoys  marked  the  spots  where 
the  monitors  "Keokuk"  and  "Weehawken"  were 
sunk ;  and  lashed  to  a  mast-head  of  the  latter,  still 
visible  above  the  water,  was  a  small  American  flag 
floating  in  the  breeze.  But  the  attention  of  all  was 
now  suddenly  arrested  by  a  more  imposing  display 


20 


THE    FLAG    REPLACED    ON    SUMTER. 


in  the  sky.  For  high  above  the  city  the  glorious 
sunset  had  painted  the  western  heavens  with  stream- 
ing bars  of  red  and  white  and  blue,  fringed  with  gold. 


It  was  our  banner,  stretched  out  again  by  a  Divine 
hand,  over  the  recovered  city ;  and  all  eyes  turned 
to  behold  the  sight,  as  the  shout  went  up,  "See,  the 
Red,  White  and  Blue  !  The  Red,  White  and  Blue  ! " 


^ 


THE    FLAG    REPLACED    OX    SUMTER.  23 

Fort  Strong,  formerly  called  Fort  Wagner,  on  Mor- 
ris Island,  was  passed  with  uncovered  heads,  in  honor 
of  Colonel  Shaw,  who  fell  gallantly  leading  his  col- 
ored regiment  to  the  assault;  then  Fort  Putnam, 
formerly  Battery  Gregg,  on  Cummings'  Point,  and 
on  the  right  Fort  Moultrie  and  Battery  Bee,  on  Sul- 
livan's Island,  were  pointed  out,  till  at  length  the  cry 
rang  out,  "Fort  Sumter  !  Fort  Sumter  !  "  Battered 
and  crumbled  almost  to  shapelessness,  it  rose  before 
us  like  some  vast  monster  in  the  centre  of  the  harbor. 
As  we  drew  nearer,  we  could  distinguish  the  senti- 
nels on  the  ramparts,  whose  bayonets  glistened  in 
the  rays  of  the  setting  sun. 

For  a  few  moments  we  contemplated  in  silence 
the  storied  fortress,  as  memories  of  the  long  and  bit- 
ter struggle  here  inaugurated  passed  in  quick  pro- 
cession before  us.  But  victory  had  come  at  last, 
and  rebellion  had  perished.  As  by  a  common  inspi- 
ration, all  hearts  and  voices  united  in  the  grand  old 
doxology, 

"Praise  God,  from  whom  all  blessings  flow." 
It  was  our  good  passport  to  the  city,  heard  and  hon- 
ored  at  Fort  Sumter  by  the  rapid  dipping  of  the 


24  THE    FLAG    REPLACED    ON    STJMTER. 

colors,  while  the  answering  strains  of  the  "Star 
Spangled  Banner"  echoed  and  re-echoed  o'er  the  bay. 
Passing  rapidly  on,  we  soon  arrived  within  hailing 
distance  of  our  blockading  squadron,  safely  riding  at 
anchor.  As  we  gave  each  ship  and  gunboat  and 
monitor,  as  we  passed,  the  news  of  Lee's  surrender,  a 
scene  of  the  wildest  enthusiasm  followed,  which 
quickly  spread  throughout  the  entire  fleet.  The 
sailor  boys  in  blue  crowded  to  the  bulwarks,  or 
mounting  aloft,  manned  the  yards,  climbing  even  to 
the  main-tops,  and  turning  swung  their  caps  and  rent 
the  air  with  their  shouts.  "Hurrah  !  hurrah  !  Lee 
has  surrendered!  Lee  has  surrendered!!"  How 
welcome  the  tidings  after  their  arduous  service. 

"Sweet  after  danger's  the  close  of  the  war." 

The  shades  of  night  were  falling  thickly  about  us, 
as  we  left  the  fleet  astern  and  came  swiftly  up  to  the 
city,  which  was  shrouded  in  darkness.  From  the 
midst  of  a  crowd  of  people  gathering  on  the  deck 
ahead  of  us,  a  squeaky  voice  piped  out,  "What's 
the  news?"  and  a  strong  voice  gave  back  the  an- 
swer : 

"  Lee  has  surrendered  with  his  whole  army  ! " 


THE  FLAG  REPLACED  ON  SUMTER.        25 

Again  the  piping  voice  : 

"  Have  you  got  Lee  ?  " 

And  the  reply,  with  no  uncertain  sound  : 

"Yes,  we've  got  him  this  time,  sure,"  followed  by 
an  indescribable  medley  of  southern  yelling,  cheer- 
ing and  dancing. 

Amid  the  excitement  and  enthusiasm,  the  band  of 
the  United  States  steamer  "Blackstone"  struck  up 
the  "  Star  Spangled  Banner,"  to  which  ours  responded 
with  "My  country,  'tis  of  thee."  Again  from  the 
"Blackstone,"  "The  Red,  White  and  Blue,"  followed 
by  the  martial  notes  of  "Hail  Columbia"  from  the 
"  Oceanus"  as  she  was  made  fast  to  the  dock.  Cap- 
tain Hunt,  of  General  Hatch's  staff,  came  aboard 
promptly,  and  after  exchanging  congratulations  over 
the  great  news,  tendered  us  during  our  stay  the 
"freedom  of  the  city."  We  were  not  expected  to 
avail  ourselves  of  this  courtesy  till  morning;  a  few 
of  us,  however,  did  get  out  on  southern  soil,  just  to 
stretch  ourselves  a  bit  after  our  long  sea-faring,  but 
encountering  rather  a  suspicious  looking  crowd,  we 
soon  returned  on  board,  to  await  the  morrow,  the 
ever-memorable  fourteenth  of  April,  1865. 

3 


26       THE  FLAG  REPLACED  ON  8UMTER. 

The  day  dawned  at  length,  mild  and  verdant  with 
the  breath  of  spring, 

"And  o'er  the  bay, 
Slowly,  in  all  his  splendors  dight, 
The  great  sun  rises  to  behold  the  sight." 

Turning  toward  the  city  we  could  easily  distinguish 
the  long  line  of  edifices  along  the  Battery,  their  win- 
dows glittering  in  the  yellow  sunshine.  Quickly 
dressing,  we  set  forth  on  a  ramble  through  the  de- 
serted metropolis.  There  was  plenty  of  time,  as 
the  transports  were  not  to  leave  for  Fort  Sumter  till 
ten  o'clock.  Vaughan  and  I  sauntered  down  East 
Bay  street,  among  the  crumbling  and  deserted  ware- 
houses, to  the  Battery.  This  was  a  long  and  straight 
promenade,  with  stone  pavement,  commanding  a  fine 
prospect  of  the  bay  and  fortifications.  Here,  four 
years  before,  all  was  activity  and  bustle ;  here  the 
populace  assembled,  and  sent  up  their  frenzied 
shouts  as  the  flag  of  the  Republic  was  lowered,  and 
the  ensign  of  Rebellion  supplanted  it  for  a  season. 

How  changed  the  scene  1     The  streets  were  de- 
serted.    The  crowds  were  scattered  and  gone  for- 


THE  FLAG  REPLACED  OX  SUMTER.        27 

ever !  The  silence  of  desolation  reigned  on  every 
hand,  disturbed  only  by  the  songs  of  the  summer 
birds.  Not  even  a  newsboy  assailed  us  with  the 
Mercury  or  Courier,  containing  an  account  of  the 
latest  victory  over  the  Yankees.  Here,  along  the 
Battery,  were  many  of  the  finest  residences,  stately 
mansions  with  broad  verandas,  which  bore  the  ter- 
rible effects  of  the  long  bombardment.  Their  walls 
were  scarred  and  rent.  The  roofs  were  crushed,  the 
glass  shattered,  piles  of  rubbish  and  other  debris 
encumbered  the  ground,  and  the  grass  was  growing 
in  the  streets.  The  siege  of  the  city  had  steadily 
and  relentlessly  continued  for  five  hundred  and  eighty- 
eight  days.  It  was  commenced  on  the  twenty-first 
of  August,  1863,  by  the  opening  of  the  Swamp  Angel 
Battery  on  Morris  Island,  five  miles  away.  On  the 
seventh  of  September,  Fort  Wagner  and  Battery 
Gregg  were  taken,  and  more  guns  were  trained  upon 
the  city  (notably  the  water  battery),  compelling  the 
evacuation  of  the  lower  part.  During  the  long  siege 
not  less  than  thirteen  thousand  shot  and  shell  were 
thrown  into  the  city. 

We  strolled  into  the  warden  of  one  of  the  deserted 


28  THE    FLAG    REPLACED    ON    SUMTEB. 

mansions,  which  still  exhibited  evidences  of  tuste  and 
culture,  even  in  neglect  and  decay.  Borders  cf  box 
lined  the  graveled  walks  and  encircled  beautiful 
flower  shrubs,  or  clusters  of  japonica,  of  manifold 
hues  ;  the  mock-orange,  the  lilac  and  magnolia  tree 
were  blooming  luxuriantly,  and  grew  to  a  remark- 
able height.  What  a  contrast  to  the  bare  gardens 
we  had  left  at  home,  amid  a  cold  and  cheerless  storm. 
We  were  now  in  another  zone,  in  the  full  bloom  of 
summer.  After  helping  ourselves  to  roses  in  abun- 
dance, the  largest  I  had  ever  seen,  we  passed  on  up 
the  street.  Notices  like  the  following  were  posted 
on  the  doors  of  some  of  the  houses  :  "Occupied  by 
permission  of  the  Provost  Marshal,  the  owner  having 
taken  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  United  States." 
Similar  cards  in  the  shop  windows  announced  that  the 
occupants  had  permission  to  transact  business. 

A  Charleston  lady  complained  to  one  of  our  offi- 
cers, saying,  "You  treat  us  well  enough,  but  the 
niggers  are  dreadful  sassy.  They  don't  turn  out 
now  when  you  meet  them  ;  they  even  smoke  cigars, 
and  go  right  up  to  a  gentleman  and  ask  him  for  a 
light ! " 


THE    FLAG    REPLACED    ON    StTMTER. 


29 


We  now 
began  to 
meet  con- 
t  r  ab  a  n  d  s 
of  all  ages 
and  of  all 
sizes,  from 
the  little 
b  arefooted 
piccanin- 
nies and 
chimney 
sweeps  to 
the  old, 

gray -haired  uncles  and  turbaned  aunties.  While 
all  appeared  bubbling  over  with  joy,  yet  they  were 
quiet  and  orderly,  greeting  us  with  bows  and  cour- 
tesies, and  a  "God  bress  ye!  we're  so  powerful 
glad  ye've  come  !"  Said  one  old  negro  to  another, 
"Yer  mus'  try  now,  an'  do  as  yer  done  by,  Uncle 
Rube."  "Yeth,"  said  Uncle  Reuben,  "but  de  fact 
am  dis  chile  ain't  never  been  done  by  I  Dat's  where 
de  shoe  pinches  ! " 


30  THE    FLAG    REPLACED    ON    SUMTER. 

We  took  great  pleasure  in  calling  with  other  friends 
upon  Colonel  Lorenzo  Potter,  one  of  the  veteran 
Union  citizens,  formerly  of  Providence.  lie  had 
been  at  home  only  a  few  weeks,  but  his  family  had 
remained  through  the  long  and  dreary  siege.  For- 
tunately the  shells  from  the  Union  batteries  had 
spared  the  home  of  these  devoted  loyalists. 

I  remember  a  fine  fig-tree  in  his  garden,  laden  with 
fruit,  and  my  disappointment  at  finding  it  in  a  green 
state,  "for  the  time  of  figs  was  not  yet."  Reluctantly 
leaving  this  hospitable  family,  we  made  a  hasty  tour 
of  several  public  buildings  and  banks,  which  we 
found  in  a  sadly  broken  and  ravaged  condition.  The 
elaborately  carved  counters  and  wainscoting  had 
been  reduced  to  fragments  ;  the  tiled  floors  and  fres- 
coed walls  were  plowed  up  and  ruined  by  exploding 
shells.  In  one  of  the  banks  I  secured  a  collection 
of  both  Continental  and  Confederate  notes,  the  obso- 
lete currency  of  two  centuries.  On  one  of  them  I 
read  this  curious  endorsement :  "  Payable  two  years 
after  a  treaty  of  peace  between  the  Confederate  and 
United  States  Governments,"  But  right  before  me 
lay  the  effective  protest  of  the  Union  shot  and  shell 


THE    FLAG    REPLACED    ON    SUMTER.  31 

against  any  treaty  of  peace  with  armed  rebellion,  in 
the  shape  of  an  immense  pile  of  debris, —  broken 
brick  and  glass,  and  charred  timbers,  the  ruins  of  a 
once  fine  and  imposing  structure.  I  was  told  of  an 
estimable  lady  of  Charleston  who,  after  investing  her 
all  (fully  $5,000)  in  these  Confederate  "promises  to 
pay,"  brought  them  out  at  last,  and  kindled  her 
morning  fire  with  the  worthless  chaff.  Most  of  the 
citizens  who  were  considered  wealthy  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  war  were  reduced  to  penury  at  its  close, 
ancl  were  to  be  seen  carrying  their  rations  through 
the  streets  of  Charleston. 

"General  Wade  Hampton  needs  horses,"  read  the 
last  order  of  the  Governor  to  the  citizens,  on  the 
twenty-first  of  January,  1865,  "and  I  have  told  him 
he  shall  have  them.  Put  aside  your  please-car- 
riages  for  the  time,  and  bring  or  send  in  your  horses 
to  Columbia.  Colonel  C.  TV  Hampton  is  charged 
by  me  with  the  duty  of  receiving  with  thanks  all 
that  will  be  sent,  and  of  taking  all  that  are  withheld. 
The  horses  will  be  paid  for.  No,  one  shall  suffer 
from  his  devotion  to  the  State." 


32  THE    FLAG    REPLACED    ON    SUMTER. 

The  public  conveyances  kindly  placed  at  our  dis- 
posal by  the  authorities,  showed  how  effectively  this 
order  had  been  carried  out.  Such  a  sorry  looking 
set  of  horses,  mules  and  donkeys,  attached  to  omni- 
buses, army  ambulances  and  fish- wagons,  would 
appropriately  have  found  a  place  in  a  Providence 
Antique  and  Horrible  procession  ! 

Passing  on  to  the  Market  Building  we  stopped  to 
chat  with  the  darkey  shop-keepers  who  occupied  the 
few  stalls  which  were  open.  We  purchased  here 
some  sugar-cane  and  strawberries,  the  first  of  the 
season.  The  darkeys  proved  to  be  pretty  shrewd 
traders,  and  promptly  declined  all  offers  of  Confed- 
erate currency  in  payment.  One  shook  his  woolly 
head,  saying,  "O,  sar,  we'd  better  gib  um  to  you, 
sar ! "  They  had  evidently  acquired  some  of  the 
sharpness  of  their  old  masters,  one  of  whom  I  read 
about  used  to  make  his  negroes  whistle  while  they 
were  picking  cherries,  for  fear  they  would  eat  some  ! 
But  now  they  could  sing  their  Jubilee  hymn,  as 
their  colored  brethren  sung  it,  marching  through 
Richmond : 


THE    FLAG    REPLACED    ON    SUMTER.  33 

"  De  whip  is  lost,  de  han'cuf  broken, 
An'  massa'l  hab  to  whistle  for  his  pay; 
He's  ole  enough,  big  enough,  an'  ought  to  known  better 
Dan  to  went  an'  run'd  away : 

Ole  massa  run,  ha!  ha! 

De  darkey  stay,  ho!  ho! 

It  inus'  be  now  dat  de  kingdom's  cummin', 

An'  de  year  of  Jubilo!" 

Some  ragged  negro  boys  on  the  street,  who,  by 
the  way  they  danced,  appeared  to  have  india-rubber 
joints,  and  who  ended  their  songs  with  a  "shout" 
and  a  "break-down,"  were  asked  if  they  knew  the 
John  Brown  song. 

"Oh,  yeth,  massa;  we  know  ole  John  Brown." 

"Well,  give  it  to  us  then." 

"  John  Brown's  body  lies  a  mold'ring  in  de  clay, 
But  his  soul  am  a  marchin'  home!" 

"  Good  !  give  us  some  more  ! " 

'  "  We'll  hang  Jeff  Davis  on  a  sour  apple  tree, 
On  Canaan's  happy  sho' !  " 

Some  of  them  doubtless  still  sing  the  new  version, 
believing  that  Jeff  Davis  will  yet  be  hung,  on  Ca- 
naan's happy  shore  ;  and  so  they  are  all  "  bound  for 


34  THE   FLAG    REPLACED   ON    SUMTEK. 

the  happy  land  of  Canaan  ! "  It  has  been  stated  as 
an  indisputable  fact,  that  some  of  the  older  negroes 
having  never  heard  their  masters  mention  the  name 
of  a  Yankee  except  with  a  profane  accompaniment, 
have  been  praying  for  years,  "O  Lord!  bress,  we 
beseech  Thee,  and  speedily  bring  along  de  comin'  of 
de  dam  Yankees  ! " 

Retracing  our  steps  towards  the  steamer,  we  met 
our  friends  coming  from  various  directions.  Some 
of  them  would  have  passed  for  returning  miners, 
who,  in  lieu  of  rich  booty,  were  heavily  laden  with 
relics  of  stone,  brass  and  iron.  While  these  Yankee 
relic-hunters  failed  in  getting  away  with  old  Fort 
Sumter  itself,  they  successfully  carried  off  two  six- 
hundred  pound  shots  from  the  great  English  Blakely 
gun,  (sent  over  to  the  rebels  by  friends  in  England.) 
They  afterwards  presented  these  to  the  New  York 
and  Long  Island  Historical  Societies,  as  enduring 
evidences  of  British  neutrality  during  our  war. 

My  mementoes  included  several  hundred  dollars 
worth,  so  to  speak,  of  Confederate  currency ;  a  tile 
from  the  floor  of  the  State  Bank  of  South  Carolina, 
and  a  Book  of  Common  Prayer  picked  up  among  the 


Ruins  of  Circular  Church.        St.  Michael's  Church.  Ruins  of  Institute  Hall. 

CHARLESTON   IN    RUINS. 


THE   FLAG   REPLACED   ON   SUMTER.  37 

rubbish  in  St.  Michael's  Episcopal  Church.  The 
floor  of  the  edifice  was  covered  with  the  shattered 
glass  from  the  windows.  A  large  shell  had  ploughed 
its  way  directly  through  the  tower,  fragments  pass- 
ing through  the  rear  wall  of  the  church,  demolish- 
ing the  pulpit,  and  even  "breaking  the  command- 
ments "  inscribed  on  tablets  attached  to  the  wall.  But 
the  iron  messenger  kindly  spared  the  precepts  most 
needed  in  Charleston,  "Thou  shalt  not  kill  I"  and 
"Thou  shalt  not  steal!" 

We  climbed  to  the  top  of  the  tower  of  this  ancient 
structure,  whose  chimes  had  been  removed  to  be 
recast  into  rebel  cannon.  I  have  since  heard  that  a 
new  set  of  chimes  now  ring  out  the  glad  notes  of 
Freedom. 

Near  by,  on  the  right,  were  the  ruins  of  Institute 
Hall,  where  the  Ordinance  of  Secession  was  passed, 
December  20th,  1860,  by  more  than  five  hundred 
majority.  On  the  left,  the  ruins  of  Circular  Church, 
where  the  first  secession  sermon  was  preached. 

But  the  hour  for  the  grand  ceremonial  at  Sumter 
had  now  almost  arrived,  fiastily  embarking  on  the 
transport  "Golden  Gate, "the  brilliant  pageant  in  the 
4 


38  THE    FLAG    REPLACED    ON    SUMTER. 

harbor  opened  before  us.  As  far  as  the  eye  could 
reach,  its  waters  were  thickly  crowded  with  ship- 
ping, gaily  decked  from  bow-sprit  to  yard-arm  and 
top-mast,  "  with  flags  and  streamers  gay,  in  honor  of 
the  gala-day  !  "  While  on  every  ship  and  transport, 
in  every  available  place,  were  assembled  the  expect- 
ant multitude. 

A  steamer  in  the  advance  suddenly  attracted  our 
attention,  decked  with  banners  and  crowded  with 
the  boys  in  blue.  Can  it  be?  Yes,  it  is  our  old 
Rhode  Island  steamer  "  Canonicus."  Summoned 
at  the  opening  of  the  war  from  the  peaceful  waters  of 
Narragansett  bay,  she  had  rendered  efficient  service 
as  a  government  transport,  and  now  at  its  close  had 
been  honorably  chosen  to  lead  the  grand  procession 
in  the  peaceful  advance  to  Fort  Sumter.  Presently 
the  signal  was  given,  the  drums  were  beaten,  the 
trumpets  sounded,  and  immediately  the  "  Canonicus  " 
led  the  proud  procession,  followed  by  a  long  line  of 
steamers  and  transports  which  gracefully  rounded 
into  line.  Prominent  among  them  was  the  "Planter," 
commanded  by  Robert  Small,  a  freedman,  who 
shouted  his  orders  from  the  top  of  the  paddle-box, 


THE  FLAG  REPLACED  ON  SUMTER.        39 

while  all  around  him,  and  below,  in  every  nook  and 
corner,  were  crowded  the  happy  contrabands  of  South 
Carolina,  of  all  ages  and  sizes,  presenting  in  their 
variety  of  costumes  a  most  novel  and  fantastic  pic- 
ture. 

It  was  a  proud  day  for  them  and  for  Robert  Small, 
who,  a  few  months  before,  almost  unaided  and  alone, 
had  captured  the  "Planter"  from  the  armed  State  of 
South  Carolina,  safely  passed  the  rebel  batteries, 
and  delivered  her  a  prize  to  our  blockaders.  He 
received  from  the  government  $4,500,  one-half  the 
value  of  the  steamer,  with  a  commission  of  $1,800 
as  her  commander.  He  afterwards  purchased  his  old 
master's  house  and  furniture,  which  set  him  up  as 
immensely  rich  among  his  people,  who  declared  him 
to  be  "de  dun  smartest  cullud  man  in  Souf  Cur- 
lina ! " 

As  the  long  procession  of  steamers  and  transports 
passed  the  fleet  at  anchor,  manned  and  decked  most 
gallantly,  there  was  a  scene  of  indescribable  enthu- 
siasm ;  guns  were  booming,  bands  playing  triumphal 
marches,  bells  ringing  and  whistles  sounding,  while 
everybody  was  shouting  and  cheering  at  the  highest 


40  THE   FLAG    REPLACED    ON    SUMTER. 

pitch  of  patriotic  exultation.  This  continued  una- 
bated till  we  reached  the  landing  of  Fort  Sumter. 
Disembarking  we  passed  between  two  files  of  sol- 
diers, black  men  on  the  right,  and  white  men  on 
the  left,  rivalling  each  other  in  soldierly  bearing. 
Ascending  a  flight  of  fifty  steps  we  reached  the  para- 
pet of  the  fort,  where  we  found  the  Rhode  Island 
boys  of  Company  B,  Third  Artillery,  Lieutenant  J. 
E.  Burroughs  commanding,  in  charge  of  six  pieces 
of  artillery.  Captain  J.  M.  Barker  and  his  men,  of 
Company  D,  were  on  duty  on  Morris  Island ;  and 
our  comrade,  Charles  H.  Williams,  with  a  detach- 
ment of  Company  B,  were  on  Sullivan's  Island, 
in  charge  of  Fort  Moultrie  and  Battery  Bee.  As 
I  stood  there  on  the  parapet  of  Sumter,  and  looked 
out  over  the  battered  and  crumbled  fortress,  I  real- 
ized how  it  had  become,  even  in  ruins,  well  nigh 
impregnable.  The  upper,  or  barbette  walls,  had 
fallen  on  the  outside,  and  lay  packed  solidly  against 
the  lower  walls,  choking  the  entrances  to  the  shat- 
tered casemates  ;  numberless  great  guns,  whose  thun- 
der had  long  been  the  voice  of  battle,  lay  dismounted 
and  half  buried  in  the  sand,  while  the  immense  vol- 


THE   FLAG    REPLACED    ON    SUMTER.  41 

ume  of  shot  and  shell  which  had  been  hurled  against 
the  fort  had  served  only  to  solidify  and  strengthen 
the  entire  mass.  The  fort  was  further  protected  from 
a  scaling  party  by  cheveaux  de  frise  of  pointed  pick- 
ets, while  along  the  base  of  the  wall,  near  the  water 
line,  was  a  barrier  of  interlaced  wire  fence,  invisible 
at  the  distance  of  a  few  feet,  and  which  effectively 
resisted  the  advance  of  our  naval  forces  on  the  night 
of  September  8,  1863.  * 

In  the  interior  of  the  fort,  packed  tier  above  tier 
against  the  walls,  were  layers  of  tall  wicker  baskets 
filled  with  sand.  In  the  centre  stood  the  new  flag- 

O 

staff,  nearly  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  high,  while 
here  and  there,  at  considerable  intervals,  were  piled 
pyramids  of  solid  shot. 

But  the  grim  aspect  of  war  had  been  somewhat 
softened  by  the  floral  decorations,  which,  I  was 
informed,  were  the  combined  taste  of  six  Union  ladies 
of  Charleston.  Near  the  flag-staff,  a  graceful  arched 
canopy  had  been  erected,  draped  with  the  American 
flag,  and  handsomely  trimmed  with  evergreens  and 
myrtle.  On  the  stage  beside  the  speakers'  stand, 
was  a  golden  eagle,  resting  upon  a  shield  of  the 


42  THE   FLAG    REPLACED   ON    SUMTER. 

national  colors,  and  holding  in  his  beak  a  wreath  of 
flowers  and  evergreen. 

Descending  to  the  interior  of  the  fort,  we  passed 
from  the  foot  of  the  wall-steps  to  the  platform 
through  a  double  file  of  navy  boys,  in  trimmest  holi- 
day attire.  Here  were  now  assembled  the  great 
audience  of  five  thousand  soldiers,  sailors  and  citi- 
zens, and  we  joined  them  in  the  stirring  song  of 
"Victory  at  Last,"  composed  for  the  occasion  by  Wil- 
liam B.  Bradbury,  who  was  present  and  led  the  sing- 
ing. Then  followed  the  old  battle  song  : 

"Yes,  we'll  rally  round  the  flag,  boys,  rally  once  again, 
Shouting  the  battle-cry  of  Freedom." 

The  formal  exercises  were  opened  with  prayer  by 
the  Rev.  Matthias  Harris,  Chaplain  United  States 
Army,  a  venerable  man,  who  had  made  the  prayer 
at  the  raising  of  the  flag  on  Fort  Sumter,  in  Decem- 
ber, 1860,  when  Major  Anderson  removed  his  com- 
mand from  Fort  Moultrie.  It  was  a  brief  but  touch- 
ing invocation  for  the  blessing  of  God  upon  the  flag 
of  the  nation,  and  upon  the  great  occasion.  The 
Rev.  R.  S.  Storrs,  D.  D.,  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  then 


THE    FLAG   REPLACED   ON    SUMTER.  43 

read  with  the  audience,  alternately,  the  one  hundred 
and  twenty-sixth,  forty-seventh,  ninety-eighth,  and  a 
part  of  the  twentieth  Psalms. 

Major  Anderson's  dispatch  to  the  Government, 
April  18,  1861,  on  steamship  "Baltic,"  off  Sandy 
Hook,  announcing  the  fall  of  Fort  Sumter,  was  then 
read  by  Brigadier-General  E.  D.  Townshend,  Assist- 
ant Adjutant-General  United  States  Army. 

Then  came  the  crowning  event  of  the  day,  the 
"  raising  and  planting  upon  the  ruins  of  Fort  Sumter 
of  the  SAME  United  States  flag  which  floated  over  the 
battlements  of  the  fort  during  the  rebel  assault,  April 
14,  1861,  by  Brevet  Major-General  Robert  Ander- 
son, United  States  Army." 

Promptly  upon  the  reading  of  the  dispatch,  Ser- 
geant Hart  (who  had  gallantly  replaced  the  flag  after 
it  had  been  shot  away  in  the  first  assault)  stepped 
forward  with  the  Fort  Sumter  mail-bag  in  his  hand. 
As  he  quietly  drew  forth  from  its  long  seclusion  the 
same  old  flag  of  '61,  a  wild  shout  went  up,  "prolonged 
and  loud."  It  was  quickly  attached  to  the  halyards 
by  three  sailors  from  the  fleet,  who  were  in  the  first 
fight,  and  crowned  with  a  wreath  of  evergreen,  set 
with  clusters  of  rosebuds  and  orange  blossoms. 


44        THE  FLAG  REPLACED  ON  SUMTEK. 

All  was  now  ready,  and  the  hour,  the  moment,  for 
which  the  nation  had  so  long  earnestly  struggled  and 
patiently  waited,  had  come  at  last ! 

"  Though  the  mills  of  God  grind  slowly, 

Yet  they  grind  exceeding  small; 
Though  with  patience  He  stands  waiting, 
With  exactness  grinds  He  all!  " 

Who  of  us  can 
ever  forget  that 
memorable  hour,  or 
the  deep  and  silent 
expectation  of  the 
great  assembly,  as 
General  Robert  An- 
derson, the  hero  of 
KOBEKT  ANDERSON.  the  day,  stepped  for- 

ward, and  with  uncovered  head  and  a  voice  trem- 
bling with  emotion,  said : 

"I  am  here,  my  friends, my  fellow-citizens  and  fellow-soldiers,  to 
perform  an  act  of  duty  to  my  country,  dear  to  my  heart,  and  which 
all  of  you  will  appreciate  and  feel.  Had  I  observed  the  wishes  of 
my  heart,  it  should  have  been  done  in  silence ;  but  in  accordance 
with  the  request  of  the  Honorable  Secretary  of  War,  I  make  a  few 
remarks,  as  by  his  order,  after  four  long,  long  years  of  war,  I 


THE    FLAG    REPLACED    OX    SUMTEK. 


THE    FLAG    REPLACED    ON    SUMTER.  47 

restore  to  its  proper  place  this  dear  flag,  which  floated  here  during 
peace,  before  the  first  act  of  this  cruel  rebellion.  [Taking  the  hal- 
yards in  his  hands,  he  said :]  I  thank  God  that  I  have  lived  to  see 
this  day,  and  to  be  here,  to  perform  this,  perhaps  the  last  act  of  my 
life,  of  duty  to  my  country.  My  heart  is  filled  with  gratitude  to 
that  God  who  has  so  signally  blessed  us,  who  has  given  us  bless, 
ings  beyond  measure.  May  all  the  nations  bless  and  praise  the 
name  of  the  Lord,  and  all  the  world  proclaim,  '  Glory  to  God  in  the 
highest,  and  on  earth  peace,  good  will  toward  men.'  " 

"Amen  !  amen  !"  the  multitude  responded.  Then 
the  old  veteran  grasped  the  halyards  with  firm  and 
steady  hand,  and 

"  Forthwith  from  the  glittering  staff  unfurled 
The  starry  banner,  which  full  high  advanced, 
"  Shone  like  a  meteor  streaming  to  the  wind." 

A  loud  and  prolonged  shout,  from  fort  and  fleet, 
greeted  the  old  flag  as,  all  tattered  with  shot  and 
shell,  it  rose  above  the  battlements  into  its  native  air. 
The  whole  audience  sprang  to  their  feet.  Several 
bands  began  to  play  their  most  inspiring  music. 
Men  swung  their  hats  and  grasped  each  other  by 
the  hand ;  women  and  children  waved  their  hand- 
kerchiefs, and  many  wept  for  very  joy.  As  it  rested 
at  length  in  its  old  place  at  the  top  of  the  staff,  and 
waved  its  victorious  folds  towards  the  recovered  city, 


48        THE  FLAG  REPLACED  ON  SUMTER. 

which  had  first  disowned  it,  the  enthusiasm  became 
tumultuous  and  overpowering,  till  at  last  it  found 
relief  in  the  national  song : 

"  The  star  spangled  banner,  O  long  may  it  wave, 
O'er  the  land  of  the  free,  and  the  home  of  the  brave!  " 

I  can  never  forget  the  impression  of  that  glorious 
spectacle,  and  that  song  of  victory  that  went  up  from 
five  thousand  voices.  The  colored  soldier  pacing 
to  and  fro,  with  beating  heart  and  gazing  aloft  with 
pride  upon  the  "flag  of  the  free  hearts'  hope  and 
home,"  could  now  exclaim,  "Yes,  that  is  now  my 
flag  1  and  yonder,  at  Fort  Wagner,  the  colored  soldier 
fought  and  died  to  restore  it.  Four  years  ago,  when 
that  flag  went  down,  more  than  four  millions  of  my 
people  had  no  flag !  But  to-day  it  is  our  flag,  and 
our  country ! " 

Immediately  followed  the  grand  artillery  salute  to 
the  flag ;  and  I  left  my  seat  and  climbed  the  look-out 
high  above  upon  the  wall  to  obtain  an  unobstructed 
view  of  the  bay.  First,  the  heavy  guns  of  Sumter 
thundered  forth  their  hearty  greeting  to  the  flag. 
Then,  in  loyal  and  quick  response,  came  the  an- 


THE  FLAG  REPLACED  ON  SUMTER.        49 

swering  notes  from  FortMoultrie  and  Morris  Island, 
followed  by  a  national  salute  from  every  fort  and 
rebel  battery  that  had  fired  upon  the  flag  four  years 
before. 

Finally  the  fleet,  with  the  little  monitors,  joined 
in  the  deep  harmonies  of  the  grand  chorus,  till  the 
earth  trembled  with  the  cannonade,  the  air  grew 
heavy  with  smoke,  and  nothing  was  visible  but  the 
rapid  flashes  of  the  artillery.  For  a  moment  it 
seemed  as  if  the  assault  of  '61  was  being  re-enacted 
before  me.  But  it  is  safe  to  add  that  had  this  been 
the  case,  I  should  hardly  have  chosen  such  an  ele- 
vated position  upon  the  observatory  of  the  fort.  At 
length  the  roar  of  cannon  ceased,  the  dense  clouds  of 
smoke  and  sand  drifted  away,  and  order  was  re- 
stored. The  orator  of  the  day,  Rev.  Henry  Ward 
Beecher,  then  began  his  address,  of  which  the  open- 
ing and  closing  sentences  were  as  follows  : 

"  On  this  solemn  and  joyful  day,  we  again  lift  to  the  breeze  our 
fathers'  flag,  now,  again,  the  banner  of  the  United  States,  with  the 
fervent  prayer  that  God  would  crown  it  with  honor,  protect  it  from 
treason,  and  send  it  down  to  our  children,  with  all  the  blessings  of 
civilization,  liberty  and  religion.  Terrible  in  battle,  may  it  be 
beneficent  in  peace.  Happily,  no  bird  or  beast  of  prey  has  been 
5 


50  THE    FLAG    REPLACED    ON    SUMTER. 

inscribed  upon  it.  The  stars  that  redeem  the  night  from  darkness, 
and  the  beams  of  red  light  that  beautify  the  morning,  have  been 
united  upon  its  folds.  As  long  as  the  sun  endures,  or  the  stars, 
may  it  wave  over  a  nation  neither  enslaved  nor  enslaving.  [Great 
applause.] 

"  Once,  and  but  once,  has  treason  dishonored  it.  In  that  insane 
hour,  when  the  guiltiest  and  bloodiest  rebellion  of  time  hurled  their 
fires  upon  this  fort,  you,  sir,  [turning  to  General  Anderson,]  and  a 
small,  heroic  band,  stood  within  these  now  crumbled  walls,  and  did 
gallant  and  just  battle  for  the  honor  and  defense  of  the  nation's 
banner.  [Applause.] 

********* 

"  To-day  you  are  returned  again.  We  devoutly  join  with  you  in 
thanksgiving  to  Almighty  God,  that  he  has  spared  your  honored 
life,  and  vouchsafed  you  the  honors  of  this  day.  The  heavens  over 
you  are  the  same ;  the  same  shores ;  morning  comes,  and  evening, 
as  they  did.  All  else,  how  changed!  What  grim  batteries  crowd 
the  burdened  shores  1  What  scenes  have  filled  this  air,  and  dis- 
turbed these  waters!  These  shattered  heaps  of  shapeless  stone  are 
all  that  is  left  of  Fort  Sumter.  Desolation  broods  in  yonder  sad 
city— solemn  retribution  hath  avenged  our  dishonored  banner  I 
You  have  come  back  with  honor,  who  departed  hence,  four  years 
ago,  leaving  the  air  sultry  with  fanaticism.  The  surging  crowds 
that  rolled  up  their  frenzied  shouts,  as  the  flag  came  down,  are 
dead,  or  scattered,  or  silent;  and  their  habitations  are  desolate. 
Ruin  sits  in  the  cradle  of  treason.  Rebellion  has  perished.  But 
there  flies  the  same  flag  that  was  insulted.  [Great  and  prolonged 
applause.]  With  starry  eyes  it  looks  all  over  this  bay  for  that  ban- 
ner that  supplanted  it,  and  sees  it  not.  [Applause.]  You  that  then, 
for  the  day,  were  humbled,  are  here  again,  to  triumph  once  and 
forever.  [Applause.]  In  the  storm  of  that  assault  this  glorious 


THE   FLAG   REPLACED   ON   SUMTER.  51 

ensign  was  often  struck ;  but,  memorable  fact,  not  one  of  its  stars 
was  torn  out  by  shot  or  shell.  [Applause.]  It  was  a  prophecy.  It 
said,  'Not  one  State  shall  be  struck  from  this  nation  by  treason!' 
The  fulfillment  is  at  hand.  Lifted  to  the  air,  to-day,  it  proclaims, 
after  four  years  of  war,  'Not  a  State  is  blotted  out!'  [Applause.] 
Hail  to  the  flag  of  our  fathers,  and  our  flag!  Glory  to  the  banner 
that  has  gone  through  four  years  black  with  tempests  of  war,  to 
pilot  the  nation  back  to  peace  without  dismemberment!  And  glory 
be  to  God,  who,  above  all  hosts  and  banners,  hath  ordained  victory, 
and  shall  ordain  peace !  [Applause.] 

"  Our  nation,  under  one  government,  without  slavery,  has  been 
ordained,  and  shall  stand.  There  can  be  peace  on  no  other  basis. 
Reverently,  piously,  in  hopeful  patriotism,  we  spread  this  banner 
on  the  sky,  as  of  old  the  bow  was  planted  on  the  cloud ;  and,  with 
solemn  fervor,  beseech  God  to  look  upon  it,  and  make  it  the  memo- 
rial of  an  everlasting  covenant  and  decree,  that  never  again  on  this 
fair  land  shall  a  deluge  of  blood  prevail.  [Applause.] 

•         •         •         •  ***** 

"From  this  pulpit  of  broken  stone  we  speak  forth  our  earnest 
greeting  to  all  our  land. 

"We  offer  to  the  President  of  these  United  States  our  solemn 
congratulations  that  God  has  sustained  his  life  and  health  under 
the  unparalleled  burdens  and  sufferings  of  four  bloody  years,  and 
permitted  him  to  behold  this  auspicious  consummation  of  that 
national  unity  for  which  he  has  waited  with  so  much  patience  and 
fortitude,  and  for  which  he  has  labored  with  such  disinterested 
wisdom.  [Applause.] 

"  To  the  members  of  the  government  associated  with  him  in  the 
administration  of  perilous  affairs  in  critical  times;  to  the  Senators 
and  Representatives  of  the  United  States,  who  have  eagerly  fash- 


52       THE  FLAG  REPLACED  ON  SUMTER. 

ioned  the  instruments  by  which  the  popular  will  might  express  and 
enforce  itself,  we  tender  our  grateful  thanks.  [Applause.] 

"  To  the  officers  and  men  of  the  Army  and  Navy,  who  have  so 
faithfully,  skillfully,  and  gloriously  upheld  their  country's  author- 
ity, by  suffering,  labor,  and  sublime  courage,  we  offer  here  a  tribute 
beyond  the  compass  of  words.  [Great  applause.] 

"Upon  these  true  and  faithful  citizens,  men  and  women,  who 
have  borne  up  with  unflinching  hope  in  the  darkest  hour,  and  cov- 
ered the  land  with  the  labors  of  love  and  charity,  we  invoke  the 
divinest  blessing  of  Him  whom  they  have  so  truly  imitated. 
[Applause.] 

"But,  chiefly,  to  Thee,  God  of  our  fathers,  we  render  thanksgiv- 
ing and  praise  for  that  wondrous  Providence  that  has  brought  forth 
from  such  a  harvest  of  war,  the  seed  of  so  much  liberty  and  peace. 
We  invoke  peace  upon  the  North.  Peace  be  to  the  West.  Peace 
be  upon  the  South. 

"In  the  name  of  God  we  lift  up  our  banner,  and  dedicate  it  to 
Peace,  Union  and  Liberty,  now  and  forever."  [Great  applause.] 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  address,  the  audience 
arose  and  sang  the  doxology.  An  impressive  prayer 
followed,  with  the  benediction,  by  the  Rev.  Dr. 
StoiTS,  Jr.  Six  deafening  cheers  were  then  given 
for  the  old  flag  replaced  on  Sumter ;  and  three 
times  three  for  President  Lincoln,  General  Robert 
Anderson,  and  our  soldiers  and  sailors.  Many  of 
us  remained  to  avail  ourselves  of  the  opportunity  to 
shake  hands  with  the  old  veteran,  and  I  well  remem- 


THE    FLAG    REPLACED    ON    8UMTER.  53 

her  the  exultation  with  which  I  walked  off  with  the 
General's  autograph. 

We  spent  an  hour  in  exploring  the  walls  and  case- 
ments of  the  fort  and  rummaging  about  for  relics. 
It  was  amusing  to  see  a  man  who,  after  selecting  a 
twenty-five  pound  shot  for  a  memento,  would  carry 
it  a  short  distance,  change  hands  to  make  it  easier, 
and  then  come  to  the  conclusion  that  it  was  foolish 
to  lug  such  a  heavy  thing  around ;  or  to  see  another 
person,  who  had  been  sweating  under  the  burden 
of  a  heavy  shell, —  when  suddenly  told  that  it  was 
still  loaded  and  liable  to  go  off,  and  take  him  off  with 
it, —  quickly  turn  and  lay  it  down  carefully,  and 
quietly  depart.  I  satisfied  my  curiosity  with  a  few 
small  grape  and  canister  shot,  some  fragments  of 
exploded  shells,  and  a  section  of  the  rebel  iron  wire 
fence  on  the  outer  wall. 

It  must  have  been  fully  six  o'clock  when  we  all 
arrived  safely  back  to  the  city.  At  sunset  there  was 
another  grand  salute  from  the  fleet,  and  in  the  even- 
ins:  we  were  summoned  on  deck  to  witness  the  clos- 

o 

ing  demonstration  of  the  day.  Nothing  could  be 
seen  in  the  darkness,  till  quick,  as  if  by  magic,  at 


54  THE    FLAG    REPLACED    ON    SUMTER. 

the  signal  from  the  flag-ship  of  the  Admiral,  the 
entire  harbor  for  miles  around  was  brilliantly  illumi- 
nated. Every  vessel  and  transport  and  monitor 
was  ablaze  with  many-colored  fires.  Each  mast  and 
sail  and  rope  was  aglow  with  light.  From  every 
deck  came  the  roar  and  glare  of  rockets,  darting  in 
quick  procession  to  the  sky,  then  turning  and 
descending  in  showers  of  golden  rain.  Hundreds  of 
lanterns,  red,  green  and  white,  suspended  from  the 
rigging,  flashed  out  their  starry  signals  over  the  bay, 
and  were  reflected  in  the  waters  beneath,  while  heavy 
clouds  of  smoke,  tinged  with  golden  radiance,  rolled 
heavenward  like  ascending  incense,  presenting  a 
scene  of  rare  enchantment. 

But  hark  !  another  signal  gun  is  heard.  Every 
light  instantly  disappears  !  Every  sound  is  hushed  ! 
and  grim  darkness  again  mantles  the  waters  of  the 
bay ;  and,  I  was  about  to  add,  we  were  all  soon  in 
sleep's  serene  oblivion,  but  my  diary  records  that  at 
nine  o'clock  p.  M.  five  of  us  took  an  impressed  car- 
riage and  started  for  the  Charleston  Hotel,  to  attend 
a  reception  given  by  General  Gilmore.  On  our  arri- 
val, we  made  a  bargain  with  our  negro  driver  to  wait 


THE    FLAG    REPLACED    ON    SUMTER.  55 

for  us,  say  half  an  hour,  more  or  less,  and  then  take 
us  over  to  the  Battery,  to  General  Hatch's  grand 
military  ball.  But  once  inside,  we  became  so  much 
absorbed,  like  little  Tommy  Tucker,  in  the  supper 
and  the  toasts,  that  we  forgot  all  about  our  colored 
driver  outside, — just  as  people  do  at  parties  still. 
The  following  are  brief  extracts  from  the  remarks  of 
two  or  three  of  the  principal  speakers. 

Judge-Advocate  Holt,  in  responding  to  the  toast, 
"General  Robert  Anderson,"  said  : 

"It  is  not  uncommon  for  organizations  in  treason  or  in  crime, 
on  a  vast  scale,  to  commit  mistakes  in  the  selection  of  agents  to 
accomplish  their  work ;  and  no  man  in  all  history  committed  a 
greater  mistake  than  Floyd,  in  the  selection  of  General  Anderson, 
on  the  sole  ground  of  his  being  a  southern  man,  to  command  Fort 
Sumter.  He  thought  to  find  in  him  a  tool  of  treason,  but  he  found 
instead  a  loyal,  fearless,  and  true  man.  Those  who  have  led  great 
treasonable  enterprises,  or  great  crimes,  have  suffered  most  from 
mingled  rage  and  angry  fear  when  they  discovered  such  mistakes 
in  the  selection  of  their  agents,  and  none  suffered  more  in  this 
respect  than  Secretary  Floyd,  on  hearing  of  the  transfer  of  the  small 
but  devoted  garrison  from  Fort  Moultrie  to  the  solid  walls  of  Fort 
Sumter.  There  was  one  man,  still  in  the  service  of  the  govern- 
ment, who  was  with  Floyd,  in  the  Cabinet,  at  the  time,  and  could 
bear  evidence  to  the  rage  of  the  defeated  traitor,  and  that  man,  with 
giant  brain  and  steadfast  heart,  has  for  three  years  presided  at  the 
head  of  the  War  Department— Edwin  M.  Stan  ton." 


56  THE    FLAG    REPLACED    ON    SUMTER. 

Major-General  Abner  Doubleday  was  called  out  by 
some  remarks  referring  to  the  part  he  took  in  the 
defense  of  Fort  Sumter,  and  said : 

"  I  feel  to-day  as  if  I  had  been  present  at  the  birth  of  a  new 
nation.  I  was  most  happy  to  have  been  present  at  the  impressive 
ceremonies  this  day,  and  glad  to  remember  that  I  dealt  some  blows 
against  secession  in  the  same  place  four  years  ago.  I  never 
doubted  then  the  propriety  of  our  resistance.  I  felt  that  the  only 
answer  to  armed  treason  must  come  from  the  mouth  of  the  cannon. 
There  is  one  class  of  men  in  that  early  effort  to  whom  justice  has 
not  been  done.  I  mean  the  enlisted  men.  They  were  offered  every 
inducement  to  desert,— heavy  bribes,  and  promotion  in  a  new  ser- 
vice,—but  they  refused  them  all.  [Cheers.]  They  were  told  that 
there  would  be  no  necessity  for  any  fighting;  that  there  would  soon 
be  peace,  as  the  North  could  not  stand  up  against  them;  but  all 
their  efforts  failed,  and  I  give  you,  '  The  remembrance  of  those 
noble  soldiers.' "  [Great  cheering.] 

But  we  were  particularly  interested  in  General 
Robert  Anderson's  response  to  a  toast  which  had  been 
assigned  to  General  John  A.  Dix,  who  sent  the 
famous  order  to  Louisiana,  in  1861,  "If  any  man 
attempts  to  haul  down  the  American  flag,  shoot  him 
on  the  spot !  " 

General  Anderson  concluded  by  introducing  the 
toast,  "Abraham  Lincoln,"  with  an  eloquent  tribute 
of  respect  and  affection.  Said  he  : 


THE    FLAG    REPLACED    ON    SUMTER.  57 

"  I  beg  you  now,  that  you  will  join  me  in  drinking  the  health  of 
another  man  whom  we  all  love  to  honor, — the  man  who,  when 
elected  President  of  the  United  States,  was  compelled  to  reach  the 
seat  of  government  without  an  escort,  but  a  man  who  now  could 
travel  all  over  our  country  with  millions  of  hands  and  hearts  to 
sustain  him.  I  give  you  the  good,  the  great,  the  honest  man, 
Abraham  Lincoln." 

How  little  we  dreamed,  as  the  cheers,  twice  re- 
peated, went  around,  that  at  that  self-same  hour  the 
honored  President  lay  prostrate  and  dying  in  the 
National  Capital  from  the  bullet  of  an  assassin. 

"  Thus  grief  ever  treads  upon  the  heels  of  pleasure  "  — 
"And  all  alike  await  the  inevitable  hour; 
The  paths  of  glory  lead  but  to  the  grave." 

Having  now  remained  at  the  hotel  over  an  hour, 
we  went  out  to  look  after  our  colored  coachman,  only 
to  find,  as  we  might  have  expected,  that  he  had  given 
us  the  slip.  But  we  took  possession  of  another  car- 
riage that  fortunately  came  up,  and,  in  answer  to  the 
sable  inquiry,  "Am  Colonel  Fuller  ready  for  de 
ball  ?"  we  kindly  informed  our  colored  friend  that  if  he 
would  take  us  to  the  ball,  the  Colonel  would  undoubt- 
edly be  ready  by  the  time  he  returned.  Thus  assured, 
he  started  off  with  us  over  a  very  dark  and  rough  road, 


58  THE    FLAG    REPLACED    ON    SUMTER. 

through  the  burnt  district,  till  we  stopped  at  length 
before  a  fine  old  mansion  on  East  Bay  street,  bril- 
liantly illuminated,  from  which  sounds  of  music  and 
festivity  proceeded.  Here,  we  were  told,  was  the 
scene  of  another  grand  ball,  given  by  the  Confed- 
erates in  honor  of  the  fall  of  Sumter,  just  four  years 
before.  Some  of  the  same  negroes  who  served  at 
the  first  ball,  as  slaves,  now  attended  the  second  as 
free  and  independent  waiters.  I  purchased  of  one  of 
them  for  a  nominal  sum  quite  a  collection  of  Confed- 
erate currency,  a  Palmetto  brass  button,  and  a  quaint 
Pompeiian  lamp,  which  are  still  preserved  as  me- 
mentoes of  the  occasion.  We  were  told  "  dat  Massa 
Middleton  used  to  own  de  place,"  but,  as  the  darkeys 
sing: 

"  He  saw  a  smoke  way  down  deribber, 

Where  de  Lincum  gunboats  lay, 
He  took  his  hat,  an'  lef  berry  sadden, 
An'  I  'specs  he's  run'd  away!" 

So  the  fine  estate,  with  its  broad  verandas,  and 
elegant  mirrors  and  paintings  on  the  walls,  all  be- 
came, including  the  darkeys,  "  contraband  of  war." 

The  next  day  was  Saturday,  and  it  was  announced 
that  the  "  Oceanus  "  would  sail  at  five  in  the  after- 


THE    FLAG   REPLACED   ON    SUMTER. 


59 


noon.  The  hour  of  departure  was  afterwards  post- 
poned to  Sunday  morning  at  nine  o'clock,  by  advice 
of  the  pilot.  We  visited  various  points  of  interest 
on  Saturday,  including  the  office  of  the  Charleston 
Mercury,  where  we  secured  some  interesting  papers, 
which  are  referred  to  in  the  Appendix.  We  also 
saw  the  slave-marts,  where  families  had  so  long  been 
bought  and  sold  like  cattle.  I  secured  a  bill  of  sale 
of  a  slave  who  was  described  as 
"a  negro  fellow  called  Simon." 
The  seller's  name  was  Mordecai, 
and  the  buyer  of  "  the  sole  use  of 
Simon  forever,"  was  a  Mr.  Laz- 
arus. 

During  the  morning,  one  of 
our  lady  passengers  was  accosted 
by  an  aged  black  woman  with  a 
hen  and  a  bag  of  eggs,  as  fol- 
lows :  "Missus,  I  want  to  gib 
de  northern  ladies  sumthin',  but 
I  have  nuthin'  but  this  yer  hen, 
and  these  yer  eggs.  Won't  you 
take  *em?"  This  was  too  much 


60  THE    FLAG    REPLACED    ON    SUMTER. 

for  the  sympathetic  nature  of  Mrs.  B ,  but  what 

to  do  with  the  hen  and  her  products  so  far  from  home, 
was  the  question.  Finally  the  eggs  were  taken  and 
the  hen  left.  The  woman  was  rewarded  and  de- 
parted in  much  delight.  On  the  homeward  voyage 
a  gentleman  proposed  to  take  them  up  to  his  coun- 
try seat  in  New  York  State,  and  put  them  under  the 
care  of  the  most  motherly  hen  of  his  large  flock. 
This  was  done  with  the  following  result : 

"  JUNE  10,  1865. 

"  I  am  happy  to  inform  you  that  the  Charleston  hen  has  done  her 
duty  as  well  as  could  be  expected  under  the  circumstances.  The 
eggs  were  evidently  the  product  of  secession  times,  and  stoutly 
resisted  all  northern  influences.  But  the  mother  hen  dertermined, 
'a  Jo  General  Grant,'  to  set  it  out  on  this  nest  'if  it  took  all  sum- 
mer!' A  great  destruction  of  capital  has  been  the  result,  but 
'  victory  at  last '  has  rewarded  her  efforts,  and  she  is  now  followed 
by  a  train  of  four  bipeds,  one  black,  one  white,  and  two  octoroons. 
I  have  neglected  to  tell  you  that  the  mother  hen  is  black,  and  struts 
with  pompous  pride  above  her  white  and  octoroon  subjects.  '  Let 
us  have  peace.' " 

My  record  would  be  incomplete  without  a  brief 
description  of  the  freedmen's  meetings  on  Saturday. 
We  found  Citadel  square  almost  impassable  with  the 
dense  crowds  of  negroes,  while  hundreds  of  children 


THE   FLAG   REPLACED    ON   SUMTER.  61 

were  marching  through  the  streets  singing  "John 
Brown."  The  principal  gathering  was  in  Zion's 
Church,  where  more  than  three  thousand  colored 
people  were  crowded  together.  One  of  the  speakers 
from  the  north,  William  Lloyd  Garrison,  the  vete- 
ran abolitionist,  was  surrounded  by  the  freedmen  as 
he  entered  the  church,  and  borne  on  their  shoulders 
amid  great  enthusiasm  to  the  platform.  Then  the 
surging  multitude  sang,  with  thrilling  power  and 
effect : 

"Koll,  Jordan,  roll,  the  year  of  Jubilee;" 

and  another  song,  beginning  : 

"  Blow,  blow  your  trumpet,  Gabriel ! " 

How  they  all  shouted  at  the  first  mention  of  the  name 
of  Lincoln  !  "  Spread  it  abroad,"  said  Hon.  Henry 
Wilson,  "  all  over  South  Carolina,  that  the  black  men 
of  South  Carolina  know  no  master  now,  and  tha.t  they 
are  slaves  no  more  forever !  [Great  cheering.] 
Abraham  Lincoln,  President  of  the  United  States 
[tremendous  cheering  and  waving  of  hats  and  hand- 
kerchiefs] ,  with  twenty-five  millions  of  freemen  by 
his  side,  and  seven  hundred  thousand  bayonets 

6 


62       THE  FLAG  REPLACED  OX  SUMTER. 

behind  him,  has  decreed  it,  and  it  will  stand  while 
the  world  stands,  that  the  black  men  of  South  Caro- 
lina can  never  more  be  slaves !  ^Loud  cheers.] 
They  have  robbed  your  cradles  ;  they  have  sold  your 
children ;  they  have  separated  husband  and  wife, 
father  and  mother  and  child.  [Cries  of  'Yes  !  yes  ! 
yes  ! ']  They  shall  separate  you  no  more  !  ['  Halle- 
lujah !  bress  de  Lord  ! ']  The  long,  dreary  night  of 
slavery  has  passed  away  forever.  ['Amen  !  amen  ! 
amen ! ']  Remember  that  you  are  now  to  be  obe- 
dient, faithful,  true  and  loyal  to  your  country  for- 
evermore  !  ".  [Cheers  and  cries  of '  Yes  !  yes  !  yes  ! '] 
Twenty  years  have  passed  since  the  emancipation 
of  this  race,  and  while  a  great  work  has  been  accom- 
plished for  their  education,  aided  by  the  princely 
gifts  of  such  philanthropists  as  George  Peabody  and 
John  F.  Slater,  of  New  England,  it  is  also  true  that 
much  remains  to  be  done.  There  still  appears  to 
exist  among  the  ruling  class  in  the  south  a  tendency 
to  put  barriers  in  the  way  of  the  poor  and  ignorant 
masses,  and  hinder  them  in  the  exercise  of  their  per- 
sonal and  political  rights.  "  This  is  a  white  man's 
government,"  exclaims  the  solid  south  to-day,  as  in 


\_Uupyriijltied  by  J.  A.  &  B.  A.  .Reid.] 


'OLE  MASS  A  RUN— HA!  HA! 
DE  DARKEYS  STAY  — HO  !  HO  ! ' 


THE    FLAG    REPLACED    ON    SUMTER.  65 

1860.  And  again  let  the  loyal  answer  go  forth,  as 
from  the  lips  of  the  lamented  Lincoln,  at  Gettysburg, 
twenty  years  ago,  "  This  is  a  government  of  the  peo- 
ple, by  the  people,  and  for  the  people,  without  dis- 
tinction of  race  or  color."  The  most  serious  danger 
which  threatens  our  country  to-day,  is  the  ignorance 
of  the  masses,  both  white  and  black,  north  as  well  as 
south.  This  class  in.  many  States  holds  the  balance 
of  power,  and  has  become  a  most  dangerous  force  in 
the  hands  of  educated  but  unprincipled  leaders. 
The  beneficent  influences  of  Christianity  and  univer- 
sal education  are  necessary  to  lift  the  masses  from 
their  servile  position,  and  enable  them  to  think  and 
vote  for  themselves.  Nor  should  they  be  allowed  to 
vote  until  they  can  read  and  write.  Education  and 
suffrage  should  go  hand  in  hand. 

CONCLUSION. 

On  the  morning  of  Sunday,  the  sixteenth  of  April, 
1865,  the  good  steamer  "Oceanus,"  gay  with  crowds 
of  passengers,  and  proudly  waving  flags  and  signals, 
steamed  slowly  down  Charleston  harbor  homeward 
bound.  As  she  passed  the  fleet,  parting  salutations 


66  THE   FLAG  EEPLACED   ON   SUMTER. 

were  exchanged  with  the  monitors,  men-of-war,  and 
the  smaller  boats  passing  to  and  fro.  We  turned  to 
take  a  last  survey  of  the  city  in  the  distance,  the 
forts,  and  shores  thickly  studded  with  now  peaceful 
batteries.  As  we  passed  abreast  of  Fort  Sumter, 
where,  as  at  Lexington  a  hundred  years  ago,  "was 
fired  the  shot  heard  'round  the  world,"  every  head 
was  uncovered,  while  we  reverently  sang,  the  band 
accompanying : 

"Praise  God,  from  whom  all  blessings  flow," 
followed  by  the  sweet  strains  of: 

"  My  country,  'tis  of  thee, 
Sweet  land  of  liberty." 

Immediately  the  colors  on  the  fort  were  dipped, 
and  the  sentinels  on  the  walls  waved  their  adieus  with 
caps  and  bayonets.  At  length  we  crossed  the  bar 
and  took  leave  of  the  pilot. 

As  the  shores  of  South  Carolina  faded  in  the  dis- 
tance, and  the  walls  of  the  storied  fort  sank  below  the 
gray  horizon,  we  bade  farewell  to  scenes  which,  how- 
ever changed  by  the  ceaseless  march  of  time,  must 
always  possess  a  charm  indescribable.  Keligious  ser- 


THE    FLAG   REPLACED    ON    SUMTER.  67 

vices  were  held  in  the  cabin  at  eleven  o'clock,  and 
again  during  the  evening.  The  sound  of  merriment 
was  hushed,  and  all  seemed  to  realize  that  it  was  the 
Sabbath.  Indeed,  it  was  observed  by  one  of  the 
speakers,  that  he  had  not  heard  a  word  of  profanity 
or  seen  any  one  under  the  influence  of  intoxicating 
beverages  during  the  voyage. 

Monday  followed  without  important  incident,  save 
that  at  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  safely  rounded 
Cape  Hatteras  with  a  gentle  reminder  of  the  old 
couplet : 

"If  the  Bermudas  let  you  pass, 
You  must  beware  of  Hatteras  ! " 

Tuesday  morning,  when  about  thirty  miles  south 
of  Fortress  Monroe,  and  while  most  of  the  passen- 
gers were  at  breakfast,  a  steamer  was  observed  in  the 
distance  with  her  flag  at  half-mast.  Various  were 
the  conjectures  for  whom  it  could  be.  We  had  been 
without  news  from  the  north  for  more  than  a  week ; 
what  could  have  happened  ? 

Presently  a  pilot-boat,  with  her  colors  also  at  half- 
mast,  appeared  within  hailing  distance. 


68 


THE    FLAG    REPLACED    ON    SUMTER. 


"  What's  the  news  ? "  was  eagerly  shouted  from  the 
"Oceanus." 

"  The  President  is  dead," 
canie    faintly    back,    with 
startling    effect,    over    the 
water.       Immediately    the 
breakfast  tables    were   de- 
serted, and  the  passengers 
gathered    in    astonished 
groups  on  deck,  exclaiming, 
"It  cannot  be!"     "We  do 
not    believe    it ! "     But    a 
second  pilot-boat  could  now  be  seen  with  her  flag, 
half-hoisted,  drooping  from  the  halyards.     Again  the 
earnest  inquiry,  "What's  the  news?" 
"President  Lincoln  is  dead." 
"How  did  he  die?" 
"He  was  assassinated  in  Washington." 
Then  stout  hearts  trembled  with  dismay,  and  men 
unused  to  tears  turned  pale  and  wept.     As  we  passed 
vessel  after  vessel,  we  obtained  further  particulars  of 
the  cruel  tragedy,  and  the  feeling  of  gloom  and  indig- 
nation which  prevailed  was  deep  and  indescribable. 


ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 


THE  FLAG  REPLACED  ON  SUMTER.        69 

Nothing  else  was  thought  or  talked  of,  till  we  arrived 
at  the  fortress.  On  landing,  I  purchased  a  Rich- 
mond paper,  containing  a  full  account  of  the  assassi- 
nation, the  murderous  attack  upon  Secretary  Seward 
and  his  sons,  with  the  plot  to  remove  General  Grant 
and  the  entire  Cabinet.  We  found  the  entrance  to 
the  fortress  draped  in  mourning,  and  the  saddest 
reminders  of  all  were  the  portraits  of  the  departed 
President,  deeply  hung  with  crape,  in  the  various 
offices.  We  made  but  a  brief  stay  at  the  splendid 
fortress,  with  its  powerful  armament,  where,  a  few 
weeks  later,  Jefferson  Davis  was  brought  and  confined 
as  a  prisoner  of  war.  We  could  plainly  discern  "  the 
Eip  Raps  "  and  Sewall's  Point,  and  the  locality  was 
pointed  out  "in  the  Roads,"  where  the  little  Monitor 
defeated  the  Merrimac,  in  1862,  and  saved  the  Union 
fleet.  The  story  of  this  famous  battle,  and  the  rev- 
olution it  produced  in  naval  warfare,  has  been  graph- 
ically recited  by  Comrade  F.  B.  Butts. 

But  the  sad  intelligence  from  the  Capital  had 
crushed  the  desire  for  sight-seeing,  and  all  seemed 
anxious  to  get  home  with  the  least  possible  delay. 
After  taking  a  supply  of  coal  and  water,  and  landing 


70  THE    FLAG    REPLACED    ON    SUMTER. 

four  or  five  blockade-runners  who  had  secreted  them- 
selves in  our  coal-bunkers  at  Charleston,  we  were 
again  "homeward  bound." 

Wednesday  morning  found  us  well  on  our  voyage 
to  New  York,  with  continued  pleasant  weather.  At 
half-past  ten,  the  Sumter  Club,  which  had  been 
organized,  held  a  meeting,  and  the  rebel  flag  of  Fort 
Moultrie  was  formally  presented  to  the  Club.  It  was 
voted  to  procure  a  suitable  gold  badge,  with  Fort 
Sumter  engraved  upon  it,  for  each  member.  It 
was  further  voted  that  every  passenger  who  sailed 
from  New  York  for  Charleston  on  the  "Oceanus" 
should  be  entitled  to  membership. 

Appropriate  services  were  held  on  board  at  eleven 
o'clock,  the  hour  at  which  the  funeral  obsequies  of 
the  President  were  being  solemnized  in  Washington. 

At  three  o'clock  we  were  opposite  Coney  Island, 
and  entering  the  Narrows.  After  a  short  detention 
at  quarantine,  we  rapidly  passed  the  light-houses  and 
forts  and  the  fleet  of  shipping,  moving  and  at  an- 
chor about  the  great  metropolis,  and  drew  into  the 
dock  at  the  foot  of  Robinson  street  as  the  city  bells 
struck  five.  Hasty  farewells  were  exchanged  with 


THE    FLAG    REPLACED    ON    SUMTER.  71 

friends  on  board,  mingled  with  greetings  from  friends 
on  shore.  Making  my  way  with  difficulty  through 
the  crowds  of  people  and  among  teams,  drays  and 
carriages,  I  at  length  emerged  into  the  streets  of 
New  York. 

But  what  a  change  !  The  city  was  in  mourninw ! 
Ten  days  before,  every  highway  and  avenue  had 
been  resplendent  with  flags  and  streamers  ;  and  a 
whole  city  had  celebrated  with  joy  and  thanksgiv- 
ing the  return  of  peace  and  the  triumph  of  loyalty 
over  armed  rebellion.  We  had  sailed  to  the  metrop- 
olis of  the  south,  the  Cradle  of  the  Rebellion,  and 
found  it  a  city  in  ruins.  There,  where  the  national 
ensign  had  been  first  dishonored,  we  had  seen  it 
uplifted  and  restored  with  imposing  ceremonies,  amid 
the  shouts  of  a  race  redeemed  and  set  free.  To-day 
we  had  returned  to  find  New  York  as  mournful  as 
Charleston.  A  national  calamity  had  filled  the  land 
with  mourning.  From  every  flag-staff  the  "stars 
and  stripes,"  shrouded  in  black,  drooped  at  half-mast. 
From  the  houses  of  rich  and  poor  alike,  hung  the 
emblems  of  the  universal  sorrow.  It  is  estimated  that 
not  less  than  five  hundred  thousand  people,  the  rep- 


72  THE    FLAG    REPLACED    ON    SUMTER. 

resentatives  of  all  classes,  crowded  the  entrances  t6 
the  City  Hall  to  take  a  last  look  at  the  familiar  fea- 
tures of  the  beloved  President,  who  had  so  endeared 
himself  to  all  parties  by  his  patience,  wisdom  and 
fidelity  during  his  long  and  difficult  term  of  service. 
Just  before  the  fall  of  Richmond  he  uttered  those 
ever-memorable  words,  his  fitting  epitaph:  "With 
malice  towards  none,  with  charity  for  all,  with  firm- 
ness in  the  right,  as  God  gives  us  to  see  the  right, 
let  us  strive  to  finish  the  work  we  are  in,  and  do  all 
which  may  achieve  and  cherish  a  just  and  a  lasting 
peace  among  ourselves  and  with  all  nations."  His 
work  was  finished.  The  nation  was  reunited,  and 
at  peace  with  all  the  world.  As  we  enjoy  to-day 
the  blessings  of  peace  and  orderly  progress  let  us 
never  forget  the  name  of  Lincoln.  Let  us  ever 
remember  at  what  a  fearful  sacrifice  of  precious  blood 
and  treasure,  Liberty  and  Union  were  maintained, 
and  "the  flag  replaced  on  Sumter." 


VICTOKY    AT    LAST. 

SONG    AND    CHORUS. 
Words  by  MRS.  M.  A.  KIDDIE.  Musie  by  WM.  B.  BBADBTTBT. 


i 


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Introduction. 


fi 


.  j  For  many  Tews  we've  waited  To 
'  (  And  now  thai-day  approach  ea.  The 


nrouco.  n    ,  p-j    , 

^73-T^  -*=L»-i-^*»=   '    '  jF=3=3=y=j 


bail  the  day  of  peace.When  our  land  should  be  united,  And  war  and  strife  should  cease ;  I 
drums  are  beating  fast.  Anil  all  tbu  boys  are  coming  borne,  There's  victory  at  last,     j 


FULL  CHORUS. 


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There's  vie  -  to  •  ry      at  last,     boys,        vie  -  to  -  ry      at   last  1          O'er 

Is  A.  *  A  j&. 


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£^£ 


Lg-g-z-W-g: 


land   and  sea   Our  flag      Is  free;  We'll  nail    it     to      the  mast;  Tes,  we'll 
N  •*-*-*-•»-*-#-•*-'••••*•        •*-  . 

=fc±e^aE^^£itJ:  t  r-^-F- 

— l»---l»-M:iFi'=rlMi=r 


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Sii^s 


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n*l     It    to     the  most,     boys,      Nail     it    to     the  mast;     For    there'* 

f-  '  f-  f-  ]  f-  f-          ^-          •»••»•»•  f-  f-          ^   '    f* 


H 


^      a    N  /?s      Jj a      N ^      , 


Tic  •  to  -  ry,        vie  -  to  -  ry,  vie  •    to  -  ry        at     laatl 


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-^-7— 


The  heroes  who  have  gained  it, 

And  lived  to  see  the  day, 
We  will  meet  with  flying  banners 

And  honors  on  the  way ; 
And  all  their  sad  privations 

Shall  to  the  winds  be  cast, 
For  all  the  boys  are  coming  home  — 

There's  victory  at  last.— CHORUS. 


O  happy  wives  and  children, 

Light  up  your  hearts  and  homes, 
For  see,  with  martial  music, 

"  The  conquering  hero  comes," 
With  flags  and  streamers  flying, 

While  drums  are  beating  fast ; 
For  all  the  boys  are  coming  home  — 

There's  victory  at  last.— CHORUS. 


Sung  at  Fort  Sumter,  April  14,  1865. 
See  page  42. 


APPENDIX. 


From  the  Charleston  Mercury  of  January  19, 1865. 

(A  month  before  the  evacuation  of  the  city.) 

CHARLESTON  A  SAKAGOSSA  ! 

******** 

"  The  same  tenacity  and  daring  which  has  held  Charleston  and 
the  Savannah  line  for  four  years,  can  hold  Charleston  now,  if  brought 
to  bear  upon  the  emergency.  Too  long  we  have  been  fighting  here, 
around  these  old  walls,  to  yield  them  now  without  a  struggle.  We 
say,  unhesitatingly,  to  those  in  authority,  there  are  brave  men  here, 
who  are  prepared  to  make  of  Charleston  a  second  Saragossa.  "We 
use  no  fancy  phrase.  We  mean  the  exact  thing.  We  mean  fight 
the  country  inch  by  inch  to  her  outside  lines ;  and  we  mean,  then, 
fight  it  inch  by  inch  to  the  foot  of  old  St.  Michael's  walls.  *  *  * 
We  want  no  Atlanta,  no  Savannah  business  here.  *  *  *  Let 
Charleston  be  strictly  a  military  camp.  The  opportunity  is  offered 
—  let  the  commanding  general  make  a  fight  here  that  will  ring  round 
the  world.  We  will  not  fail  him.  There  are  men  here  to  do  it. 
We  have  made  names  historic  before.  We  can  do  it  aow.  Let  us 
strip  and  enter  the  arena  for  life  or  for  death.  Will  he  stand  by 
us?" 

From  the  Charleston  Mercury  of  February  10,  1865. 

(A  week  before  the  evacuation  of  the  city.) 
"Amidst  the  dark  shadows  that  envelop  the  destinies  of  the  Con- 
federate States  at  the  present  moment,  we  think  — we  dream  p»r- 
haps,  perhaps  we  imagine  — that  we  see  a  faint  streak  of  light, 


76  APPENDIX. 

struggling  up  across  the  eastern  horizon  through  the  darkness  of  the 
night.  Is  it  the  early  messenger  of  morn  ?  or  is  it  an  aurora  of  the 
night  ?  Yet  we  imagine  we  see  a  streak  of  dawn  upon  the  horizon. 
A  new  Yankee  Congress  comes  in  on  the  fourth  of  March  next. 
What  sort  of  body  is  it  ?  Wild  lunatics.  They  come  into  power 
flushed  with  success,  and  are  themselves  the  very  dregs  of  radical- 
ism. Every  one  of  them  are  drunken  mobocrats  and  bloody  Puri- 
tans of  the  deepest  dye.  What  will  they  not  do  and  say  ?  Can 
Lincoln  control  them  ?  Can  Seward  control  them  ?  We  think  not. 
In  their  very  violence  and  brutality  lies  our  hope.  Can  Europe 
stand  them  six  months  ?  We  think  not.  Must  not  Europe  see  that 
if  they  are  successful  in  destroying  us,  that  their  own  time  is  not 
far  off  when  they  will  be  swept  from  off  this  continent  ?  Will  not 
this  coming  Yankee  Congress  force  all  the  world  either  to  cower 
before  them,  or  check  them  by  upholding  us  ?  We  think  it  must. 
This  is  a  streak  of  dawn  that  we  imagine  we  see.  Perhaps  we  are 
only  nodding  — and  only  dream.  Still  we  fancy  the  thing.  Let  us 
stand  to  our  arms,  and  watch  for  the  morning." 
The  morning  dawns  at  length. 

From  the  Charleston  Mercury,  February  11,  1865. 
(The  last  edition  published  in  the  city.) 

To  OUB  READEHS. 

"  The  progress  of  military  events,  which  has  occasioned  so  much 
public  and  private  inconvenience  and  suffering,  has  not  spared  the 
newspaper  interest.  The  interruption  of  railroad  communication 
between  Charleston  and  the  interior,  produces  a  state  of  affairs 
which  compels  us,  temporarily,  to  transfer  the  publication  office  of 
the  Mercury  elsewhere  ;  and  to-day's  paper  will  be  our  last  issue, 
for  the  present,  in  the  city  of  Charleston."  (The  editor  then  moved 
his  establishment  to  Cheraw,  S.  C.,  directly  in  the  line  of  General 
Sherman's  advance.) 


THE  FLAG  REPLACED  ON  SUMTER. 


WM.    A.    SPICER. 


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